• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • In-Season Rankings
    • Standard
    • PPR
  • Waiver Wire
  • Members Only
    • DFS LU TOOL
    • Player Tracker
    • Forum
    • Cheat Sheets
    • Log In
  • Join
Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy sports news, rankings, sleepers, cheat sheets, stats and tools.

All points lead to the playoffs in 2014: Steelers Schedule Analysis

February 17, 2014 by Michael Nagy

Ben Roethlisberger set a team record with 375 completions in 2013.

A strong finish with a little help from other teams nearly catapulted the Steelers (8-8) into the playoffs even with a 0-4 start.  Thanks Andy Reid and Ryan Succop.  An offense that jelled in the second half of the season will return most of its starters.  History also favors the Steelers making the playoffs considering they haven’t missed the playoffs three seasons in a row for a long time.  That hasn’t happened since before the Mike Tomlin era in 1998-2000.  The consensus among experts assigned to the non-playoff teams agrees that the Steelers are positioned to break their two-year absence and return to the playoffs in 2014.  The following discussion illustrates why.

Ben Roethlisberger is probably the main reason. Why?  He is arguably the best quarterback among the teams that didn’t make the 2013 playoffs and displayed in the latter part of the season that he is still a formidable and effective quarterback.  Roethlisberger set a team record for completions in a season with 375 while throwing for 4,261 yards – the second highest total of his career – in leading the Steelers to a 6-2 record in the second half of the season.  He will be supported by a running game with Le’Veon Bell, who was a rookie and injured for much of the season, especially in the beginning of the season when everything appeared dismal.  Bell showed his versatility out of the backfield catching the ball and picking up pass rushers.  In addition, his combined strength, elusiveness, quickness, and speed are attributes the Steelers have been looking for in quite a while.  A healthy Bell makes a significant difference.

Also Read: Why the Steelers ‘Secondary’ needs to be ‘Primary’ ?

The 2014 schedule sets up well for the Steelers because they don’t have to travel to the Mountain and Pacific time zones.  Since 2007 under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are 2-7 in those games. At least on paper, their 16 opponents had a combined winning percentage of .469 in 2013, which ranks 23rd among all teams.  The Steelers play only six games against teams with winning records last season, with just two of those on the road. As we saw against Tennessee, Minnesota, and Oakland in 2013, there is no gimme in the NFL – parity exists and you can always count on some losing teams to rebound, i.e. Chiefs with a whopping 9-game turnaround.  Only seven teams have an easier schedule than the Steelers, but two of them (Browns at .465 and the Ravens at .461) are also in the AFC North and are bitter rivals.

The Steelers also play against the AFC South teams this season, which was a combined 24-40 in 2013 (one playoff team - Colts) and the NFC South, which includes two teams (Falcons and Bucs) that went a combined 8-24.

The status of some veteran players with huge contracts is a factor as well as grabbing a few free agents off the market for some key positions and depth.  As history shows, we all know that Colbert will put together a solid draft. 

Even though the 2014 season looks promising, Steeler fans should be advised not to start making Super Bowl plans to Arizona.

 

Category - NFL Coverage - All points lead to the playoffs in 2014: Steelers Schedule Analysis

Dominate Your League

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Fantasy Football Draft Psychology: How To Outsmart Your League Mates

    Fantasy Football Draft Psychology: How To Outsmart Your League Mates

  • Which Quarterback Should You Draft in 2021?

    Which Quarterback Should You Draft in 2021?

  • Team Defense Committee vs Streaming Draft Strategy

    Team Defense Committee vs Streaming Draft Strategy

  • Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

Need To Know

  • Fantasy Football Rankings
  • Average Draft Position (ADP) Report
  • Fantasy Football Draft Projections
  • The Best Waiver Wire Picks
  • Best Optimal Lineup Tool
  • ESPN Insider Coupon Code
  • Premium Fantasy Football Draft Guide
  • Fantasy Football Projections Video Series

Footer

ABOUT US

Established in the summer of 2009, Fantasy Knuckleheads is devoted to providing quality fantasy football news, advice, cheat sheets, tools and services. We’re not a mega-sports-site that churns out content by the pound. We’re simply a small, tight knit group of fantasy experts turned writers that love what we do, especially when we’re right. We strive to tell you something you don’t already know that’s actionable and at the very least, informative.

Fantasy Blog Network

Get This <a href="https://fantasyknuckleheads.com" title="Fantasy Football Rankings"><b>Fantasy Football for all you knuckleheads</b></a>

INFORMATION

  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Write For Us
  • Fantasy Sports Widget

Copyright © 2023 · Fantasy Knuckleheads ·

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in